Architecture-independent process control

Abstract

Process control systems for operating process plants are disclosed herein. The process control systems include control modules that are decoupled from the I/O architecture of the process plants using signal objects or generic shadow blocks. This decoupling is effected by using the signal objects or generic shadow blocks to manage at least part of the communication between the control modules and the field devices. Signal objects may convert between protocols used by control modules and field devices, thus decoupling the control modules from the I/O architecture. Generic shadow blocks may be automatically configured to mimic the operation of field devices within a controller executing the control modules, thus partially decoupling the control modules from the I/O architecture by using the shadow blocks to manage communication between the control modules and the field devices.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A computer-implemented method of operating a process plant, comprising:
 selecting, by one or more processors, a control module associated with a control process, wherein the control module is implemented as a software module within a process control system and has at least one input configured to receive process control data; 
 associating, by the one or more processors, a first signal object with the at least one input of the control module, wherein the first signal object is implemented as a data object within the process control system and wherein the first signal object has a path specifying a data source and a variable providing data obtained from the data source; 
 assigning, by the one or more processors, a test path to the first signal object, wherein the test path is associated with test data indicative of different operating conditions of the process plant; 
 executing, by the one or more processors, the control module using the test data to simulate operation of the control module; 
 receiving, at the one or more processors, output process control data from the control module; 
 recording, by the one or more processors, the received output process control data; 
 verifying, by the one or more processors, proper functioning of the control module using the recorded output process control data; 
 receiving, by the one or more processors, information indicating at least a portion of an I/O architecture of the process plant; and 
 assigning, by the one or more processors, a first path to the first signal object as the path, wherein the first path specifies an output of a process control device of the process plant and wherein the first path is assigned to the first signal object after proper functioning of the control module is verified and after the information indicating the at least a portion of the I/O architecture of the process plant is received, 
 wherein the first signal object receives output data from the process control device via one or more protocols, extracts process control data from the received output data, and provides the process control data to the control module in a standard format regardless of the one or more protocols of the received output data, and 
 wherein the control module receives the process control data associated with the process control device from the variable of the first signal object. 
 
     
     
       2. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the process control data received from the first signal object is independent of the I/O architecture of the process plant. 
     
     
       3. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 associating, by the one or more processors, a second signal object with an output of the control module; and 
 assigning, by the one or more processors, a second path to the second signal object, wherein the second path specifies an input of one of the process control device or another process control device of the process plant, 
 wherein the control module communicates process control data to the process control device or another process control device through the second signal object without regard to the I/O architecture associated with the process control device or another process control device. 
 
     
     
       4. The computer-implemented method of  claim 3 , further comprising:
 selecting, by the one or more processors, a second control module, wherein the second control module includes an input; and 
 associating, by the one or more processors, the input of the second control module with the second signal object, 
 wherein associating the input of the second control module with the second signal object causes the second control module to receive the process control data from the output of the control module at the input of the second control module. 
 
     
     
       5. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein the first path is assigned to the first signal object during execution of the control module in operating the process plant. 
     
     
       6. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 selecting the control module and associating the first signal object with the at least one input of the control module are performed by selecting a control strategy from a library of control strategies, such that the selected control strategy includes both the control module and the associated first signal; and 
 the selected control strategy does not include the first path. 
 
     
     
       7. The computer-implemented method of  claim 1 ,
 wherein the test data includes a plurality of sets of test data indicative of the different operating conditions of the process plant, and 
 wherein receiving the output process control data from the control module includes receiving the output process control data for each set of test data. 
 
     
     
       8. A process control system for operating a process plant, comprising:
 a plurality of process control devices disposed within the process plant; and 
 a controller communicatively connected to the plurality of process control devices and having at least one control module implemented by the controller as a software module of a process control system, the control module having an input to receive input process control data and an output to communicate output process control data, 
 wherein the input of the control module is associated with a first signal object to receive process control data, wherein the first signal object is implemented as a data object within the process control system and wherein the first signal object has a path specifying a data source and a variable providing data obtained from the data source, 
 wherein the controller is configured to verify proper functioning of the control module by:
 assigning a test path to the first signal object, wherein the test path is associated with test data indicative of different operating conditions of the process plant, 
 executing the control module using the test data to simulate operation of the control module, 
 receiving output process control data from the control module, 
 recording the received output process control data, and 
 verifying proper functioning of the control module using the recorded output process control data, 
 
 wherein the controller is configured to receive information indicating at least a portion of an I/O architecture of the process plant, 
 wherein the first signal object has an assigned first path specifying an output of a process control device of the plurality of process control devices as the path of the first signal object after proper functioning of the control module is verified and after the information indicating the at least a portion of the I/O architecture of the process plant is received, 
 wherein the first signal object receives output data from the process control device via one or more protocols, extracts process control data from the received output data, and provides the process control data to the control module in a standard format regardless of the one or more protocols of the received output data, and 
 wherein the control module receives process control data associated with the process control device from the first signal object. 
 
     
     
       9. The process control system of  claim 8 , wherein the process control data received from the first signal object is independent of the I/O architecture of the process plant. 
     
     
       10. The process control system of  claim 8 , wherein:
 the output of the control module is associated with a second signal object; 
 the second signal object has an assigned second path specifying an input of a second process control device of the plurality of process control devices; and 
 the control module communicates process control data to the second process control device through the second signal object without regard to the I/O architecture associated with the second process control device. 
 
     
     
       11. The process control system of  claim 8 , wherein the first path is assigned to the first signal object during execution of the control module by the controller in operating the process plant. 
     
     
       12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing executable instructions for implementing a process control system to operate a process plant that, when executed by one or more processors of a process control system, cause the process control system to:
 receive a selection of a control module associated with a control process, wherein the control module is implemented as a software module within the process control system and has at least one input configured to receive process control data; 
 associate a first signal object with the at least one input of the control module, wherein the first signal object is implemented as a data object within the process control system and wherein the first signal object has a path specifying a data source and a variable providing data obtained from the data source; 
 assign a test path to the first signal object, wherein the test path is associated with test data indicative of different operating conditions of the process plant; 
 execute the control module using the test data to simulate operation of the control module; 
 receive output process control data from the control module; 
 record the received output process control data; 
 verify proper functioning of the control module using the recorded output process control data; 
 receive information indicating at least a portion of an I/O architecture of the process plant; and 
 assign a first path to the first signal object as the path, wherein the first path specifies an output of a process control device of the process plant and wherein the first path is assigned to the first signal object after proper functioning of the control module is verified and after the information indicating the at least a portion of the I/O architecture of the process plant is received, 
 wherein the first signal object receives output data from the process control device via one or more protocols, extracts process control data representing a subset of data received from the process control device from the received output data, and provides the process control data to the control module in a standard format regardless of the one or more protocols of the received output data, and 
 wherein the control module receives the process control data associated with the process control device from the variable of the first signal object. 
 
     
     
       13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 12 , wherein the process control data received from the first signal object is independent of the I/O architecture of the process plant. 
     
     
       14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 12 , wherein the executable instructions further cause the process control system to:
 associate a second signal object with an output of the control module; and 
 assign a second path to the second signal object, wherein the second path specifies an input of one of the process control device or another process control device of the process plant, 
 wherein the control module communicates process control data to the process control device or another process control device through the second signal object without regard to the I/O architecture associated with the process control device or another process control device. 
 
     
     
       15. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 14 , wherein the executable instructions further cause the process control system to:
 receive an additional selection of a second control module, wherein the second control module includes an input; and 
 associate the input of the second control module with the second signal object, 
 wherein associating the input of the second control module with the second signal object causes the second control module to receive the process control data from the output of the control module at the input of the second control module. 
 
     
     
       16. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 12 , wherein the first path is assigned to the first signal object during execution of the control module in operating the process plant. 
     
     
       17. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the selection of the control module comprises a selection of a control strategy from a library of control strategies, such that the control strategy includes both the control module and the associated first signal; and 
 the control strategy does not include the first path. 
 
     
     
       18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the test data includes a plurality of sets of test data indicative of the different operating conditions of the process plant; and 
 the executable instructions that cause the process control system to receive the output process control data from the control module cause the process control system to receive the output process control data for each set of test data.